My Weakness
by I'm Still So Deep
Summary: Right before the arrival of the Androids, Bulma had told Vegeta to leave and never come back into her life again. But after the battle with Cell had ended, she sees a completely new side of him, one that she never expected to see. Will it be enough to bring the two of them back together? One-shot. Rated M for sexual content and course language.


My Weakness

A/N: Well, here's yet another one of my B/V fics. I was noticing I have a fic set in almost every saga about B/V but I didn't have a Cell era one, so I decided to write this one and make it rather lengthy at that. I also felt that all my other lemons were somewhat generic so with this one I decided to be more descriptive and edgy, so you've been warned about it. And I've been dealing with a lot of angst lately, so I figured unleashing it through Bulma and Vegeta would be perfect ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters.

* * *

The sun was setting as Bulma Briefs walked out onto the balcony outside of her room, clutching a glass of red wine in one hand, while the other held a pack of cigarettes. She knew it was bad to be indulging in her two biggest vices at once, but she was facing more stress than ever before. Being a new mom was harder than she ever thought, and Trunks could be a real handful at times. She now understood why Chi-Chi was so harsh and overprotective with Gohan; motherhood was not for wimps.

She took a liberal sip of her wine and sighed. She knew she was a good mother to Trunks and did all she could for him, but she knew she could be better. She could be softer with him when he was distressed about something, and be more attentive to his needs. She acknowledged fully that she was a selfish human being and could be a cold-hearted bitch at times. Her life before becoming a parent revolved solely around herself and her needs and wants, and rarely did she ever consider anybody else's feelings. She knew that was a terrible thing to admit, but it was true. She didn't want to be that way any longer; she wanted to be better for her son. She was all he really had, anyway.

That thought made her flinch as she lit one of her cigarettes. That was the other thing that had been weighing on her heart. The battle with the Androids was set to take place tomorrow morning, and Vegeta was nowhere to be seen. But she knew that was her fault. She was the one that had told him to leave and never come back. She hung her head low as she took a long drag off her cigarette, her eyes watering as she remembered that day he left over a month ago, wondering if she had made the right decision. . .

*flashback*

_Bulma walked into her lab early that morning, holding Trunks securely with one arm as she flicked on the light switch. She then walked over to Trunks' playpen and gently sat him down in it, smiling wide as he reached for his blue blanket and began to wave it around. She sat down at her desk a few feet away and began to look over the blueprints for a new hover car idea her that her father had come up with, letting out a sigh of relief when she found that the design wasn't as complicated as she had initially imagined. _

_As she was about to get up and gather the supplies she would need, the door suddenly flung opened and slammed back against the wall, leaving a huge dent. Trunks wailed loudly at the sound and threw his blanket at the hunched over figure that entered the room. Bulma clutched at her heart that was beating at double-overtime from the scare and swirled around in her seat to see Vegeta striding towards her, limping slightly on his left leg. She instantly noticed how beaten and bruised he looked, though he was doing his best to appear unaffected. He was shirtless, with only a pair of black shorts on, though the fabric was ripped in some areas. As she looked him over more she noticed dozens of cuts and scrapes on his chest, blood trickling down his sides. He panted slightly as he made eye contact with her, his trademark scowl firmly planted on his face._

"_What the fuck are you looking at, human?"_

_Bulma quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "I'm obviously looking at you, dumbass. You're the one that came bumbling in here. What is it that you want?"_

_Vegeta snarled and tried to mirror her stance of crossed arms, though he struggled with the pain shooting throughout his body. But his face didn't show an ounce of the discomfort he felt. If it was one good thing Frieza had taught him it was how to hide emotions of any kind. And pain was an emotion Vegeta never wanted to display to anyone. "Hmph. The gravity chamber doesn't seem to be working at its maximum today, and I demand that you fix it immediately. The tin cans' arrival is only a month-and-a-half away, and I refuse to waste even a second of training."_

_Bulma rolled her eyes and picked up Trunks' blanket that he had flung across the floor and handed it back to him, kissing the top of his soft lavender hair. "Tough," she huffed as she turned her attention back to Vegeta, approaching him slowly. "I have other things to attend to today, and I'm pretty damn sure the gravity chamber that I repaired just last week is in tiptop shape. Maybe it's _YOU _that can't handle it, seeing as how beaten up you look."_

_His eyes were like daggers as he glared at her, his mouth twitching into a hard line. "You seem to be forgetting that I am a Super Saiyan now. There's _NOTHING _I cannot handle at this point."_

"_I'll believe that when you beat Goku. . .that is if you can do such a thing," she sneered, knowing she probably went too far with that comment, but she couldn't care less. Vegeta was even more of a royal prick now that he had achieved Super Saiyan, and his ego needed to be taken down a peg. Plus, she really didn't think he could beat Goku, Super Saiyan or not. She felt bad for saying that, since Vegeta was the father of her child, but that didn't mean she was suddenly his cheerleader. That just wasn't her style._

_Vegeta's whole body tensed up, his jaw tightening as he advanced toward her, bumping his chest against hers. He stared down at her with a look of pure malice, making her gulp. After staring at her silently for a few moments, he forcefully cupped her chin, bringing her face closer to his so that they were just mere inches apart. "Don't you ever say something so foolish to me again, woman. If that strange boy from the future hadn't of brought Kakarot that medicine the dolt would have already been dead from a fucking heart virus of all things! But after the fight with these Androids is over I will finally be able to fight Kakarot again, and I'll rightfully be the one to put him on his deathbed."_

_Bulma jerked herself out of his grasp and shook her head violently, strands of teal hair flying in every direction. "Oh, please. You're way too full of yourself! No way Goku would lose that easily, especially to you. You may be strong, but Goku's the strongest in the universe; nobody can beat him—"_

_Before she could say anything else, Vegeta had her up against the wall, his hands pinning her wrist up above her head. She had never seen him look so angry before. His eyes were searing into hers, his teeth clenched so tightly he could have cracked a tooth. Trunks was watching from his playpen all the while, his azure eyes wide as he made gurgling sounds of confusion. Bulma looked back at him sadly, knowing this wasn't the first time he had witnessed such a thing. Pretty much all her and Vegeta ever did was argue back and forth, and unfortunately her son would have to get used to it. Some role models they were for their son._

"_Why the hell do you keep defending that clown of a warrior?! You gave birth to my offspring, if anything you should be agreeing with me!" Vegeta spat, tightening his grip on her wrists._

_Bulma winced from the pain, but did her best to remain calm. "I may be the mother of your son, but that sure as hell doesn't mean I support you. It will be a cold day in hell when that happens, buddy."_

_Vegeta stared at her long and hard for a moment, his expression not alluding to what he was thinking. He finally released her from his grasp and shook his head as he began to walk off. Bulma watched him with bafflement as she massaged her wrists tenderly. Since when did Vegeta run away from an argument like that?_

"_You don't have anything else to say, Prince?"_

_Vegeta swung his head around and looked back at her with a smug expression. "Is there something else you want me to say?"_

"_No. . .but why do you give a damn if I support you or not? I may be the mother of your child, but that's all I am to you. We're not married, or dating. . .or even friends for that matter. So what does it matter to you?"_

_He simply shrugged and smirked. "It doesn't matter to me."_

"_You sure act like it."_

"_Is that so? Why the fuck would it matter to me? You're a loud-mouthed human that's only purpose is to satisfy my sexual needs or repair the gravity chamber. Both of which you've been lacking in lately."_

_A vein exploded in her forehead, her fists clutched at her side. She wanted to beat the shit out of him, but she knew it would do no good. She couldn't even land a scratch on him. . .or could she?_

_Bulma approached him slowly, utterly disgusted at the arrogant smirk he was directing her way. She stood still for a few moments, her eyebrows knitting together as she contemplated her next move in her head. Without any warning, she flung her hand back and slapped him as hard as she could across the cheek, leaving a prominent red hand print on his skin. She panted slightly as that took all the strength she had, and grimaced at the throbbing sensation in her hand. It hurt like hell, but she was glad she did it. It was long overdue after all the anguish he had put her through since he first came to live with her._

_Vegeta was still as stone, his expression completely blank as he stared at her. She stared back at him without an ounce of fear. She knew he wouldn't physically hurt her. At least she hoped he wouldn't._

"_I actually felt that," he said with dry amusement as he rubbed his cheek. "Who would have thought such a pathetic weakling as yourself could accomplish such a feat. You may even be stronger than baldly or your ex-mate."_

_She rolled her eyes and tossed her hair over her shoulders. "Whatever. I didn't do that to actually try to inflict pain upon you. I did that out of all the frustration you've put me through since you've been here. You're a real bastard and I hope you realize that."_

"_Oh, I do. And I prefer to be that way."_

"_Then I don't know why the hell I even bother with you!" She grumbled turning her back on him to stare at the wall. "I've been nothing but nice to you since you first came here. I let you stay in my house, eat my food, build your training supplies, and I even let you sleep with me. Which was stupid on my part because it led to me getting pregnant and having to take care of a baby of all by myself!" _

_Vegeta glanced over at Trunks, who was still watching curiously. Those eyes of his were just like Bulma's, so bright and blue. It pained him to even look at him because it was as though those eyes were piercing his very soul. He never asked to be a father, especially at a time like this with the looming threat of the Androids. He supposed he was partial to blame; he knew the consequences of sleeping with the human woman, but he had been too caught up in his lust for her to care. And now it had come back to bite him in the ass. _

"_I have more important things to worry about than that brat," he answered huskily, tearing his gaze away from his son._

_Bulma spun around on her heels and faced him again, her sapphire eyes full of rage. "How dare you, you brute! How can you say you have more important things to worry about than your child? He should be your top priority besides me—"_

_She had to stop herself before she could say more. How could she even let that slip out? Vegeta making Trunks a priority could one day be a possibility, but he would never make her one. Ever. Like she said they were nothing to each other. He had zero obligation to her. And she knew it would be that way when she first got with him and had accepted it._

_So why was it bothering her now?_

_Vegeta threw his head back and chuckled wickedly. "I can't believe you really just said that! What a fool you truly are. I don't give a damn about you and I never will. I don't have time for petty attachments. So you need to quit living in whatever delusion fairytale you're living in."_

"_FINE!" she bellowed in his face, shoving him in the chest, right where the majority of his cuts and bruises were, and she could tell that miffed him. "I'm sorry I ever tried to believe there was good in you. You're a selfish son of a bitch, and that's all you'll ever be. The only time you were ever remotely decent to me was when you were fucking me, but even that didn't get me anywhere. I was left all alone while I was pregnant because you were off in space, not giving a shit about me or your unborn child. Even now you are no help with Trunks, and honestly I don't even know why the fuck you stay around. You're just a waste of space."_

_Vegeta glowered down at her, his glare as threatening as any physical attack could ever hope to be. "A waste of space am I?" he breathed into her ear, sending a chill down her spine._

_She nodded weakly, boldly looking him in the eye. These were feelings she had suppressed for so long, and it was about time she let them out. He had walked all over her for too long. And it wouldn't be happening anymore. She had had enough of him for good. _

"_I want you to leave, Vegeta. And don't come back. There's nothing left here for you. You can go find somewhere else to train for the Androids, especially since nothing I ever built to help you train was good enough. I will raise Trunks on my own, much like I have been this whole time."_

_Vegeta's eyes widened in shock, and something akin to grief flashed briefly in that fathomless gaze of his, but the look was immediately swamped over by a hard frown. "If that's what you want then fine by me. I've degraded myself long enough by staying here in this pathetic place. I will continue my training elsewhere. But mark my words, once the battle with the tin cans is over and I've rightfully defeated Kakarot, I will be leaving this goddamn planet for good and never come back."_

"_Good," she breathed out with flared nostrils._

_He gave her one last glare, completely unaffected by her words and turned to leave. But before he could go the sound of crying froze him in his tracks. He turned around to see Trunks howling, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks as he extended one of his tiny hands towards his father. Vegeta stared back at his son with an impassive expression, his eyes cold._

_Bulma reached down for Trunks and lifted him into her arms, cradling him against her chest. "Daddy has to go," she murmured she stroked his soft cheek. She looked down at her son with a warm smile, not outwardly showing that she was under any distress._

_Vegeta looked back at her with an odd feeling, though he wasn't sure what it was. He decided not to ponder on it and exited the room, slamming the door behind him. If she didn't want him there then so be it. He truly didn't want to stay anyway. Now he was free from that woman's constant harping and nagging. Plus, he had been growing bored with the gravity chamber in recent months. It was nowhere near as challenging as it had been before he had reached Super Saiyan, so it didn't pain him to part with it. Actually, nothing here was painful to part with. Nothing at all. _

_With that last thought he took off into the sky, not even daring to look back._

*end of flashback*

Bulma breathed out a haze of grey smoke, feeling rather glum at the memory of him walking out the door that day. She was so sure in that moment of her decision of telling him to leave. And she hadn't felt much different in the following days, either. Things honestly weren't that much different without him. She felt alone even when he was around, so him being gone didn't really leave a some kind of hole in her heart. He never went out of his way to be nice to her while he was around; it wasn't like she had lost a caring guy from her life. The only time he ever did act somewhat charming to her was when he wanted something, and once he had gotten it he went right back to being an asshole that didn't acknowledge her presence. Maybe if he was nicer to her and treated her like a priority it would have been much harder to go through it all. Her breakup with Yamcha wasn't earth-shattering in the slightest for her because the spark in their relationship had been lost long ago, but it did sadden her because he was one of her best friends and they had been through so much together. She didn't hold a grudge or anything like that towards her ex-boyfriend, despite his playboy ways being one of the main reasons she decided to end things for good. Once she got together with Vegeta months later, she had almost completely forgot about Yamcha altogether. Vegeta had excited her in a way Yamcha never could, especially in certain areas. There had been sexual tension building between her and the Saiyan Prince for a long while at that point so it felt good to finally release her growing desires for him. And she knew her fling with Vegeta wouldn't last, so she had prepared herself for whenever it came to an end.

What she didn't prepare herself for was getting pregnant.

She was on birth control, like she had been for years, and it had worked perfectly while she was with Yamcha, so she thought nothing of it. But apparently Saiyan sperm is much stronger than human sperm could ever be, so her pill didn't stand a chance. She wasn't thrilled with the circumstances surrounding her child's conception, but she was excited about becoming a mother. Vegeta, however, wasn't too excited about being a father. And he made it obvious when he completely ignored her during her whole pregnancy. Hell, he wasn't even in the delivery room when Trunks was born. She was secretly hurt by the whole thing; she never imagined that the father of her child could be so uncaring towards her and their child. She knew Vegeta didn't care about her, but he could at least care about their son. Trunks deserved to have the love and affection of both of his parents.

But Vegeta was one stubborn little shit. Nothing she did to try to get him to be closer to her and Trunks worked. It was emotionally draining; it was day in and day out of feeling neglected and verbally abused by him. And that day she had told him to leave was her breaking point. She just couldn't take being treated like shit anymore. Or her son for that matter. Trunks didn't deserve to grow up in a hostile environment like that where his parents were always bickering. She truly didn't want to raise her son alone, but it was better than him just being overlooked by his father the rest of his life. It would be better in the long run for him. She felt so much less stress without Vegeta around, as hard as that was to say. She didn't have to worry about walking on eggshells with him around or what rude remark he would make towards her that day. It was much more for peaceful for sure.

It only seemed logical that her life was better without him. But. . .it wasn't. Yes, there was less tension in her life and less negativity. Yet. . .a part of her missed him. She knew that was crazy to say, with the way he treated her and Trunks. But she really had fallen for him in the past three years. She admired his determination and strength, though he could be a bit too cocky at times. She had grown fond of that dark fathomless gaze of his and his irritatingly sexy smirk. Plus, he was an extraordinary lover, and she doubted she would ever be that attracted to anyone again.

There were shreds of goodness in him that she had witnessed in their time together, and it had given her hope that she could melt that icy heart of his. Goku had always seen the best in him, so she wanted to try to do the same. But all Vegeta did was push her away and shut her out. His walls were up higher than ever now and didn't seem like they would ever come down. He was the loneliest soul she had ever encountered, and she knew deep down it had to bother him. That's why she had tried to get to know him, to be a friend to him. But her efforts failed time and time again. She was a very resilient person and never gave up when she wanted something, but Vegeta was not easy to win over.

She didn't know why she cared so much, about him, about his past, about where he could be now. . .all caring did was get her hurt. She knew he could change for the better, that he really had the capacity to be a decent person. But she couldn't help him change because he wasn't willing to. Parenthood hadn't even made him want to change. And if that wouldn't change the fucker then nothing would. She just had to let all this go and trust that her decision was for the best. Her and Vegeta just weren't meant to be, and in time she would completely move on and forget about him. Hopefully.

She sighed and puffed one last time on her cigarette and then tossed it to the ground, smothering it with her shoe. She mentally swore that that would be her last one for a long while. It was a nasty habit anyway. She then reached for her wine and took the last sip of it. While she was willing to ditch cigarettes, wine was a whole other story.

_I'll just drink less of it!. . .maybe. . ._

She decided to head to bed after noticing how the nighttime sky had completely erased any trace of the sunset, the now were stars glistening around the bright full moon. She let out a loud yawn and walked back towards her room, closing the balcony doors behind her. She went over to where her nightstand was and grabbed Trunks' baby monitor to listen in, hoping he was still sound asleep. She was relieved to hear his tiny snores, the noise making her grin ear to ear. Her son brought more light into her life than a hundred suns ever could. While parenthood may not have changed Vegeta, it had certainly changed her. She was still feisty and opinionated, but she couldn't be as careless or self-centered as she was when she was younger. Trunks was now her number one priority, and she would make sure that her son would have the best life possible, with or without Vegeta.

She set her alarm for early in the morning, making sure she got up in time to meet with the others before the Android's arrival. They probably would give her their usual 'you're a woman it's too dangerous for you to be here!' speech, but she didn't give a damn. She always missed out on the action and refused to miss it this time. She wondered if she'd see Vegeta with all the others.

Hopefully not. He wasn't one for social gatherings. Knowing him he'd probably just show up in the middle of a fight and take over. She chuckled at that thought as she plopped down on her bed, curling into her pillow. It was amazing at how fast three years had come and gone, and the battle with those machines was finally here. She really hoped her friends were strong enough to stop them and prevent the future from becoming like the one that boy had time traveled from. It was a scary thought, to think of what would happen if they lost. But she had to be positive. Being negative wouldn't do any good and would just make her nerves even worse. Her friends were more than capable of saving the world. They had done it many times before. There was nothing to worry about, she mentally assured herself.

She was halfway asleep when she remembered that the others didn't know about Trunks or her. . .relationship with Vegeta, though there was nothing left of it at this point. That would be a pain in the ass to talk about. And she knew they would ask a thousand questions. Especially Goku, who she was sure would be shocked to find out about her and Vegeta.

_Hopefully this fight with Androids won't take too long and we can all go on with our lives once again._

That was the last thought she had before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

But the battle with the Androids was anything but short and seemed to drag on for the Z fighters. Turns out the Androids weren't even the real threat: Cell was, and he nearly blew up the whole Earth during his Cell Games. Goku had selfishly spared his life to save the Earth, but even that wasn't enough to stop Cell's terror, who had returned moments later and killed Future Trunks, leaving Vegeta to go off into a rage. Gohan had stepped in front of Vegeta to save his life after the Prince's attack was no match against Cell, but as a result Gohan had lost all use of one of his arms. Things seemed impossible, but with help from Goku, Gohan unleashed one last Kamehameha and defeated Cell once and for all. The Z fighters then gathered the Dragon Balls and wished back everyone that had lost their lives at the hands of Cell (including Trunks) and also that the bombs inside Androids 17 and 18 would be removed. Goku, however, refused to be wished back and decided to stay in Other World, hoping that because of his from Earth no new enemy would ever appear again.

And so a new beginning had arrived for the Z warriors on Earth.

Future Trunks flew immediately back to Capsule Corp. from Dende's Lookout after Shenron had granted all their wishes. His long lavender hair blew back fiercely into the wind as he picked up his speed, eager to see Bulma. He just couldn't believe he had actually died a few hours ago. Cell really was a sick fuck to kill him so carelessly like that. He kept having to pinch himself to see if he was really alive again and not just dreaming. Though dying certainly wasn't ideal, and neither was facing the Androids and Cell, he had really enjoyed his stay in this timelines and getting to know all the other Z fighters he had only heard stories about from his mother. He was mainly glad he got to know his father better, and train with him in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Vegeta was definitely a hard-ass, but he had more layers and depth buried beneath his tough exterior, and Trunks was glad he had got to witness it while they trained together.

He smiled wide as he remembered what Yamcha had just told him on the way back about how Vegeta had gone ballistic at his death. He had really begun to lose hope that he would ever win over his father, but he was ecstatic to know that deep, deep down Vegeta really did care. That gave him hope as well for this version of his mother, that her and Vegeta really had a chance together. True, their interactions he witnessed were rather, uh, quarrelsome to put it nicely, but he could tell his mother loved Vegeta, despite how unlovable he truly was. Even if the prince wouldn't admit it, he needed someone to love him and believe the best in him. He knew Bulma could offer that to him; he just had to be willing to accept that. And it seemed with all that transpired recently that that seemed like a real possibility. Vegeta would just have to come around in his own time; he was still stubborn as hell no matter how much had changed.

Capsule Corp. finally came into view and he made a beeline for the domed building. He landed softly onto the crisp lawn, waving at Mrs. Briefs who was hanging up laundry on the clothesline.

He opened the front door and dashed inside, looking all around for Bulma. He sprinted upstairs and finally found her coming out of Trunks' nursery after setting him down for a nap. She spotted him down the hallway and felt warm tears stream down her cheeks. She ran up to him and hugged him as tightly as possible, nearly suffocating him to death. "Oh, Trunks, my baby," she murmured as she gingerly patted his back.

Future Trunks smiled and hugged her back, knowing he didn't have much time left with her since he planned on leaving in the morning. He would truly miss her. She was the exact same as his own mother but much more relaxed and carefree. He knew that was probably because she didn't face the same horror as his mother in his timeline, with all the death and destruction. This version of his mom would, hopefully, never have to face such things. She would be able to live in peace, and he hoped she realized what a true gift that was.

"That was really scary there for a minute. I mean, the whole Earth was shaking! But I knew Gohan could do it. He's a real hero just like his Dad," she smiled as she wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffling slightly.

"Yeah, Gohan is an amazing kid, that's for sure. And I don't want to freak you out, but I died during the fight. Cell caught me off guard, but Shenron was able to bring me back. But Goku died as well and refused to be wished back. . .he is really dead for good."

Bulma's head almost exploded from processing all that information. Holy shit. Her son and best friend had died in this fight, but Trunks was revived, and Goku wanted to stay dead. What an idiot! "Um. . .I. . ."she stuttered in disbelief, reaching out to him and grasping his arm, as though he could be ripped away at any moment. The last thing a mother ever wanted to hear was that her child had died. It was the worst news possible. "I'm beyond thankful that you're okay now. I personally would have ripped Cell a new one for doing that to you! And Goku. . .what a dumbass! Why the hell would he want to stay dead?! Doesn't he care that he's leaving Chi-Chi all alone to raise Gohan?! It's just selfish!"

Future Trunks casually tucked a lose strand of his hair behind his ear and sighed. "In Goku's mind it was anything but selfish. He thinks he's the reason for all the problems that have plagued Earth, and he feels that if he stays dead no new enemy will try to attack again. It's actually quite noble of him when you look at it that way."

"Hm," Bulma hummed crossing her arms. "I guess so. I'll have to give Chi-Chi a girl's day or something. She'll be needing it. I'm still not thrilled with Goku's decision, but at least there will finally be peace on Earth."

He chuckled lightly as he noticed how she kept looking around as though she was expecting someone. He knew exactly who she was waiting for. "I sense Dad's Ki close by if that makes you feel better."

Bulma flinched, her face reflecting a mix of relief and excitement, but she quickly masked the look with a scowl. "I couldn't care less where that big jerk is. He's the last person I want to see."

"I know that's a lie," he smiled, calling her bluff. "I've witnessed how gruff he can be, and I honestly didn't even care for him much at one point after how rude he was to me. But. . .I think he's gonna change for the better now. Yamcha told me on the way back home that Vegeta went into a rage after Cell killed me and tried to avenge my death. "

Her head snapped up immediately upon hearing that. Never, ever had she expected to hear anything about the prince actually showing outwardly that he cared about anybody but himself. "Vegeta, the biggest prick in the world, actually did that? Well I never!"

"Yeah, it surprised me, too. But it shows there's hope. . .for you two."

Bulma made a chocking sound of shock, her eyes widening. "Oh, Trunks, I think that ship has sailed. I tried being with him and all the brute did was treat me like shit. I'm not putting up with it again. . .no matter how much I really do care about him."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled warmly down at her. "I can see why you would think that, Mother. But please trust me when I say deep down he really does care about you. You're the only person that ever really tried to get to know him. And believe me when I say in no way am I excusing the shitty things he's done in the past. But there is so much hope for him in this timeline. In mine he never got this opportunity to grow and evolve. Please just give him another chance, the chance my mother never got to give my own father."

Trunks' words seeped into her, and she saw the pleading in his azure eyes. He really believed Vegeta would be different now, in spite of his past behavior. She sighed. She knew she cared about Vegeta, more than she wanted to let on, and knew she would probably never fall for another man the way she had for him. It was also very true that her future self and Vegeta never had the chance to make things work in their timeline. But fate was providing her with this opportunity and she had to seize it, or else she knew she would regret it if she didn't even try.

"You get your persistency from me," she giggled as she pulled him in for another hug, thankful for all he had done in this timeline. He was a real hero. "I hope Trunks grows up to be exactly like you. You really are an amazing young man."

He blushed and bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Mother. If you don't mind I'd like to rest some before I leave in the morning." He also sensed Vegeta fast approaching Capsule Corp. and wanted to give them time alone to talk. He only hoped Bulma would take what he said to heart; she could be just as tenacious as Vegeta.

She nodded and smiled as he walked toward the guest room. "Okay, sweetie sleep well!"

He smiled back and closed the door behind him, hoping to wake up to a happier set of parents in the morning.

Bulma was walking back towards her bedroom when she heard the front door open. She didn't even have to guess who it was. And she wasn't mentally prepared to see him. She retreated to her room and shut the door, her heart throbbing loudly. She was about to lock it when it suddenly flung open, nearly knocking her to the ground. She had to steady herself before her vision went back to normal and once it did she caught sight of a too-familiar figure with a wild flame of hair.

"Vegeta. . ."

The Saiyan Prince stared back at her with the oddest expression she had ever witnessed from him. He looked so anguished, an emotion she had never dreamed of seeing from the bastard. He had never hesitated to openly show his feelings of arrogance or rage, or any other negative emotion for that matter. But anything even remotely resembling sorrow or pain he had always deflected. Yet now here he was, standing in front of her with his emotions on full display to her. Trunks may have been right after all. But still, she wasn't that easily persuaded, and he had a lot of making up to do towards her. She could now openly admit she did care for the asshole, but her pride was just as strong as his, and she would not give in so easily.

He didn't say anything for a long while; he just stared at her with those dark orbs of his that immobilized her in place. That gaze of his was like physical contact in its intensity, and she could feel her body temperature rise as she stared back at him. How was it possible that a pair of eyes could be that powerful? She just couldn't figure it out.

When he still didn't say anything for another few minutes, she cleared her throat and rubbed at the back of her neck awkwardly. "Um, so Trunks came back a little while ago and told me about all that happened. That was some fight; I didn't know if you guys would make it. Luckily Gohan pulled it out in the same way Goku always did. That kid deserves a medal or something!"

Vegeta crossed his arms and turned his attention towards a nearby window, suddenly becoming interested in the setting sun. "Trunks told you _**everything **_that happened?"

She nodded, knowing he probably felt a tad discomfited about his attempt at trying to avenge Trunks' death, particularly since it was the first time he had ever done such a thing for anyone.

"Nothing will ever be the same," he said in a ruff whisper that was so low she wasn't even sure she had heard him right. He hung his head down low, his eyes battling with a vast array of emotions she never fathomed seeing from him.

She stepped closer to him, barely resisting the urge to reach out and touch him. "What exactly do you mean by that, Vegeta?" she asked with her head tilted, her eyes clouded with confusion.

He looked back up at her, his face completely somber. He let out a deep breath, raking a hand through his disheveled spikes of raven hair. "After this fight, there is no way I could possibly go back to the way I use to be. Everything has changed. _**Everything**_. . ."

Bulma curiously watched as he took a long pause and adverted his gaze from her. She had never seen him like this, ever. If she wasn't witnessing it herself she wouldn't believe it. A hidden layer of himself was being shown to her; an introspective one at that, something she never imagined from the shallow prince.

"I've never seen you like this. . ." she said in a muted voice, in awe of this new side of him.

He came out of his deep thought and focused his attention back on her, noticing how intently she was looking at him just then. He moved even closer to her, to where they were now just inches apart. The sudden close contact made Bulma release a shiver, which made Vegeta inwardly smirk. He looked down at her and uncrossed his arms, dropping them to his sides. "Like I said, today changed everything, at least for me it did. My son. . .our son. . .I watched die at the hands of that fucking bastard, and a rage I had never felt in my life came over me. Trunks had done nothing but show me respect since he first came here. He had shown me kindness I didn't deserve, and all I did was treat him like shit over and over again. He didn't deserve that, nor did he deserve to die like that. I would have avenged his death a thousand times over, even if I failed. I should have been the one Cell came after, not him. I would have died anyway if Gohan hadn't of stepped in front of me. The son of my rival saved me, not even hesitating to protect me. He was so selfless towards me, and I treated him just as bad in the past as I had Trunks. And because of me he lost all ability in one arm. I could have been solely responsible for the death and destruction of this planet and everybody on it."

Bulma's mouth gaped open as she listened keenly to every word he said. She was dumbfounded. Vegeta actually seemed remorseful about all the times he had been an asshole to others around him. Hell had officially thawed over.

"But. . ." he continued hoarsely, "Gohan was still able to finish off Cell, even with only one arm. I don't like that an 11-year-old boy that's the son of Kakarot is now the strongest fighter in the universe, but I must admit I am rather impressed by the boy. I didn't give him enough credit in the past, but today he proved me wrong. And speaking of Kakarot, the dumb fuck had the option to be wished back but declined. Such an idiot he is. My only goal since I first came to this planet those few years ago was to beat him to a bloody pulp. That's all I ever cared about. _**I **_was to be the one to beat him. _**Me**_. It was _**my **_destiny, and now it has been taken away from me for good. I no longer have a desire to fight like I use to."

Bulma's head jerked up at that, her eyes as wide as saucers. Vegeta not wanting to fight was like her giving up her inventions for good. It just couldn't be done; it was a part of who he was. He just wouldn't be himself if he didn't fight anymore. She couldn't just let him give up a passion like that for good; it just wouldn't be right. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, which led to every muscle in his body tensing up from the simple contact. "Vegeta, you CAN'T give up fighting! That's what you love to do. I mean, yeah, you could stop being so obsessive about it, but you can't just quit like that!"

_Goddammit, since when did I start encouraging him like this?!_

Vegeta stared down at her hand that was resting on his shoulder, rather surprised by her response. He then smirked and shook his head. "I will still train regularly, to prepare myself in case of a future attack from a new enemy. And with Kakarot not around any longer, I will at least have a new goal of surpassing his son in strength. So no need to fret too much, woman."

"I wasn't fretting," she snipped, scowling slightly. Her expression then softened substantially as a burning question came to the forefront of her mind, one that she desperately wanted answered. "Say, Vegeta. . .why exactly are you here? We both agreed that it would be best if you didn't stay here and that we don't mean anything to each other. So why did you come here and tell me all this?"

His smirk deepened, and he slowly lifted up a hand and brushed it against her cheek, his calloused fingertips welcoming the softness of her skin. "I knew you would listen. And perhaps. . .what I said a while ago, about not wanting to be here wasn't exactly true."

She reached up and touched the hand that was against her cheek, her eyes sparkling with mirth. She knew she was too irresistible for him to stay away for too long. After all, he did at one point share a bed with the most beautiful and intelligent woman on the whole planet. About time he realized how lucky he was! "Is that so? You sure seemed like everything you said to me that day was true. You were a pretty big asshole."

"You're the one that slapped me and told me to leave for good in the first place, foolish woman," he retaliated, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"One: you deserved to be slapped. And two: living with you was honestly hell on Earth. You treated me like dirt; maybe even worse than dirt. I gave you everything I had, and you gave me absolutely nothing in return. Do you know how hard that is, to care for someone so much and all they do is push you to the side? I couldn't take it anymore; it was killing me slowly. And I don't want to go through it again. I refuse," she said boldly, her expression stern, placing her hands on her hips defiantly. She admitted that she did care deeply for the selfish brute, and did want to be with him. But she refused to be treated so poorly. All she wanted was his respect, and if he still couldn't give that to her then she had no problem telling him to leave yet again. Suffering for the sake of being with him wasn't worth it.

He gave her a calculating look, his mouth morphing into a hard, grim line. His hands delved lower to rest on her hips, pulling her completely up against him, leaving her flushed from his unexpected actions. "Woman. . .Bulma," he said quietly, looking completely serious as he spoke, "I acknowledge I treated you like shit. I can acknowledge that I've never shown another living being even a shred of kindness in my whole life. And that's because I was taught that emotion was a weakness. I still feel it is. But, I have the capacity to learn to show other emotions besides rage or anger. I can learn to be better. I have spent my whole life being indignant and closed off; I've never known anything different. I thought that being alone was what I wanted, to not be tied down to anyone or anything. After all that has happened, I see now that was never truly what I wanted; that was just how I trained my mind to be. I will never, ever be the way Kakarot is. But. . .I want to be a father to Trunks and not have him grow up without me. I also don't want to make you feel so inferior anymore. You are the only person that has ever tried to get to know me, that was a true companion to me, and I regret how I treated you before."

_You have got to be shitting me. Am I dreaming or something? Is this really Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, standing before me saying all this? Things really have seemed to change._

"I don't really know what to say," she smiled simply, wrapping her arms around his neck, bringing him down lower to where she could rest her forehead against his. "You are a royal pain in the ass, but I will be happy to welcome you back, if you promise to keep your word and be nicer. That's all I ask of you."

He didn't answer verbally, but instead bent his head down further, her breath escaping her completely as he kissed her softly, the gentle contact sending instant warmth all throughout her body. _I'll take that as a yes, _she mused to herself, giggling inwardly. She wanted a little more verbal confirmation about his feelings towards her, but for all he just spilled out to her, it was more than enough for the time being. That was a big step for him, and she was satisfied. He would learn to be more open and expressive someday; besides, Rome wasn't built in a day. It would take time and effort. But they would get there.

The kiss became more passionate as Bulma allowed his questing tongue entrance to the warm crevasses of her mouth with delicious submission. A warmth that had not been felt for some between her thighs began to rise up, and she desperately wanted to free her desires for him that had been suppressed for too long. Vegeta was on the same page as his hands tugged at the thin fabric of her shirt and ripped it off, much to Bulma's dismay since she had just bought it yesterday. He then unhooked her bra in the blink of an eye, her chest fully exposed, leaving her to shiver slightly from the sudden breeze.

She didn't even have time to process a single thought as he backed her up against the wall and pinned her wrists swiftly above her head, leaving her breathless beneath his grasp. He had had her pinned up against the wall in the same position that day in her lab, but this was for a different reason. That day he was angry, and had her up against the wall to threaten her. But now there was a much different intent behind his sudden display of dominance. And she gladly welcomed it.

He kissed her hard on the lips, to the point to where she was sure he had bruised her. Not that she minded; she loved it when he was rough. His lips then found their way to her neck, biting and gnawing on her delicate skin, and he could feel her pulse quicken beneath his lips. Next, he traveled lower and placed open mouthed kisses along her collarbone, his tongue reveling in the softness and smoothness of her peachy skin. Her body was more appetizing than she would ever realize. Out of all the women he had ever been with, this loud-mouthed human mesmerized him like no other, both mentally and physically. And she was the only one in the entire universe that was worthy of experiencing pleasure and euphoria produced from his hands; he just wanted to please her. He would probably never verbalize any of this to her, but he decided to show her in that moment through his actions and ministrations of his mouth.

Bulma nearly swallowed her tongue on a yelp as Vegeta took one of her plump breasts into his mouth and began interchangeably licking and sucking on one of her perked nipples, smirking inwardly at the gratification he was giving her. He then moved on to the other breast and performed the same action, the warming sensation further increasing between her thighs, making her want to reach down and stroke the spot herself. But Vegeta was already ahead of her. While still nipping on her breast, he reached a hand down and rubbed over the fabric of her jeans at the spot, knowing exactly where it was. Wanting to feel her growing heat even more, he unbuttoned her jeans quickly and then helped her slip out of them along with her underwear as well, tossing them back behind him. He brought his lips back up to hers, kissing her just as hungrily as he had before, and their tongues mindlessly battled for dominance. He ran his thumb in an expert manner over the spot like he had before, now able to freely feel her delicate lower lips. His thumb continued to rub her clit in an assiduous manner, knowing just when to interchangeably quicken and slow down his pace, producing maximum pleasure to the turquoise-haired woman. He knew all her weaknesses at this point, and he wanted to exploit each and every one of them.

He broke their heated kiss and dragged his tongue all the way down from her chin, down to her breast and stopped right at her abdominal for a quick second. Every muscle in her body contracted as his lips ran over the spot his thumb had just massaged, his tongue teasing her as it ran over her clit in the same fashion his thumb just did, making her knees buckle and almost give out. After a little exploration of her heat, his tongue slithered back up her body, stopping to nibble at her breasts yet again. Bulma opened her eyes from her haze of passion and grew irritated that he was still fully dressed. That just wouldn't do.

She stubbornly tried to remove his clothing, but had a rather hard time removing the spandex material. Vegeta smirked wryly in response. "Need a little help there, woman?"

When she nodded in response, he stopped his exploration of her body and in an instant had his clothing removed, tossing it to the side along with the rest of hers. Now that they were both finally naked, Bulma pulled him back to her, pressing her bare flesh against his, elated to finally able to feel his warm, steel-like body against hers. In response, Vegeta hauled her up against him, pressing her back completely up against the wall and plunged his hardened member into her moist heat, causing her to grit her teeth to keep from crying out brokenly. She wrapped her legs around his trim waist, steadying herself the best she could as he went at an even pace, his lips nipping at her jawbone.

They stayed like that up against the wall for quite some time, rubbing their bodies together at a slow pace, basking in the heat they were producing. Not moving his lips from hers for even a second, Vegeta kept his grip on her and moved over to the bed, placing her down softly on the mattress. He then regained his position on top of her and increased his pace fluidly, wanting to see if she could keep up. To his heated amusement, she was able to hold her own and continued to move against him, sweat dripping down her forehead, her breath uneven. He bowed his head down and kissed her rather softly on the lips, his hands kneading her swollen breasts at that same time, resulting in a mix of a moan and a giggle from her. She pulled him down even more against her, her perfectly manicured fingernails clawing up and down his back, forcing out a grunt from the Saiyan Prince. She shifted her mouth and started trailing hot kisses along his jawbone, then all the way down to his collarbone, his skin salty beneath her tongue. He let out a muffled string of curses, doing his best to keep his composure, not wanting to fully show how much her simple kisses were affecting him.

He looked down at her with a hungry smirk, closely examining the rise and fall of her chest with every movement she made. "You still able to keep up, woman?"

She looked back up at him with flushed cheeks and a smirk of her own, lost in her fog of fervor for him. "Just keep fucking me," she whispered throatily, licking his lips seductively, which enticed him more than she knew.

Vegeta's pace then intensified as he hit just the right spot that satisfied them both, pushing them over the edge. Bulma's release came first, her moans so loud that she feared she would wake up everyone else in the house. Vegeta in turn let out a grunt and dug deep into her one last time before his climax hit, leaving him without any energy, collapsing on top of her. They lay pressed together for a while as they dragged in heavy breaths, both internally agreeing that that was the best they had ever had. Bulma was grateful she had her ceiling fan on as it instantly cooled their sweaty bodies. Even the slightest movement sent a jolt of pain shooting throughout her body so she remained flat on her back, grinning at the prince that was given out on top of her.

After a few minutes of regaining his composure, Vegeta lifted himself up and looked down at Bulma, the corners of his lips tugging upward. "Are you sure about your decision of letting me come back?" he asked, pushing her damp bangs out of her eyes.

His eyes had never looked softer than they did in that moment. She smiled and placed a kiss on his hand that was resting on her cheek. "People will probably think I'm crazy, and I even think I'm slightly crazy, but what the hell. You are useful for some things," she teased with a wink.

He let out an amused snort and rolled over to where he had his back to her, ready to give in to sleep.

But Bulma was not the slightest bit tired. And she wasn't about to let him go to sleep that easily.

She pressed her chest against his damp back and brought her lips to his earlobe and nipped at it, smiling shamelessly as his muscles tensed up. "I don't think it's bedtime just yet, mister. I can still go another round."

"I doubt that," he said with a tired smirk. "You could barely keep up this time."

"Oh, really?" Bulma mirrored his smirk. "I think you're just too weak to do it again. I really did seem to wear you out just now, so I doubt you have the strength to go again."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Mhm."

She knew she had won. Vegeta never backed down from a challenge. Ever.

"Well then," his voice never as sexy and enticing as it was in that moment. "Challenge accepted, woman."

He smashed his lips to hers and placed himself back on top of her, ready to work his magic all over again. She smiled against his lips and once again surrendered to his blistering touch. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy. Maybe Trunks was right after all; it did seem there was hope for her and Vegeta. It definitely wouldn't be easy by any means, but she was truly eager to make it work. Plus, she was finally able to admit one thing that she had known all along: she really did have a weakness for the Saiyan Prince.

And that would never change.

* * *

A/N: Holy shit, this was the single longest thing I have ever written lol. I'm surprised if most of you didn't lose interest halfway through. Well, a few last things I want to say. I grew up always assuming that Bulma and Vegeta really, truly fell in love in the three year period, but when I really dissect their relationship I think it's obvious it didn't happen that way at all. The Android and Cell sagas were rough for them, and I really don't think they began to fall in love until after Cell was defeated, so that's why the beginning was angsty. So hopefully I captured this time period accurately for them. And like I said earlier about the lemon, this was the first one I've written where I was pretty descriptive and it was pretty lengthy as well. My other lemons are pretty tame and not too long so I wanted to venture out with this one; hopefully I didn't do too bad with it! And I know that my 'Thank You' readers are probably mad I haven't update in a while and I posted this instead of updating. But please be patient, I am having some writers block with it, but I will have it updated sometime next week. Anyway, I am shutting up now with my ramblings, I hope you enjoyed this one-shot and thank you for reading!


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